Smile
by The Mocking J
Summary: It takes a lot to make Korra smile after what she's been through, but her friends might just have the answer. [Book 3 finale spoilers]


**[[**_**After watching the Book 3 Finale, I wanted to contribute something to this fandom. **_

**Disclaimer: **_**Do not own.**_

**Spoilers:** _**WARNING- major spoilers for the Book 3 Finale.**_

**Set: **_**At the end of Book 3, on Air Temple Island.**_**]]**

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**Smile**

Korra doesn't smile when she awakes to find her family's concerned faces. Mornings have never been her strong point, but the toll of the Red Lotus's venom forces her to rest until noon. It's the price she must pay for protecting the people she loves. They're worth it. She'd endure the poison burning through her veins a thousand times to keep everyone safe.

"How are you feeling?" Tenzin inquires softly. He survived a brutal assault, too; yet her wellbeing always comes first.

Stiffly, Korra turns her head, noticing her worried parents are also present. "Did you sleep okay, honey?" her mother checks.

To both questions, the Avatar offers a delicate shrug, wincing from the effort of such a small gesture. Determined not to let the pain beat her, she hauls herself up in bed, her irritation acting as a bolster. By the time she sits erect against the pillows, her teeth are gritted and sweat plasters her skins. Katara— freshly flown-in from the South Pole— darts over to mop Korra's forehead as if she is a sickly child. Ikki and Meelo follow, gently laying a tray on their patient's lap with joint exclamations of, _"Breakfast in bed!" _Much to the children's delight, Korra picks at her bowl of moon peaches.

Bolin pokes his head in between the airbenders, Pabu above his shoulder. "Great, your appetite's back!" His goofy grin falls when he fails to gain a response from Korra.

"Give her some space, guys," Mako cautions. His eyes dart to her hand lying limp on the covers, but he draws back along with Bolin and the kids.

All of them wait for some reassurance from Korra— a laugh, a snappy remark... a _smile, _perhaps? Any reaction will do. But the silence is deafening; like the air has been sucked out of the room. Korra swallows; she is reminded too much of Zaheer's attempt to steal the breath from her lungs. (A sensation even worse than bloodbending.) At least she'd been luckier than the Earth Queen...

Her companions are relieved when she finally croaks, "Any news on the Earth Kingdom?" Of course her first query regards the fate of the world, rather than herself.

Pema assures her, "You don't need to worry about that at the moment—"

"There's still riots everywhere, especially in Ba Sing Se," Lin interrupts, not sugar-coating her answer in the slightest. Then she sees Korra bite her lip and adds, "But we're dealing with it. Pema's right; there's no need to worry at all." (Lin wonders what's become of the thuggish girl who thrashed Republic City upon her arrival.)

"And the... airbenders?" Korra continues. "How are they?"

"They're all fine and settling in," Jinora reports. Korra is glad she's here, though she doesn't show it. Despite the busy preparations to receive her airbending tattoos, Jinora makes time to visit her.

Kai is right behind Jinora, smirking. "Yeah, Air Temple Island's pretty sweet... but the beds could be comfier." Creating a gust of air, he floats a long thin package over to Korra. "Here, this is from all the airbenders."

"Thank you." Korra looks at Ikki and Meelo, inviting, "Wanna help me open it?" The siblings eagerly return to her bedside to rip off the wrapping paper. Korra is grateful for the airbenders' gift, but she peers at it with a bemused expression. Her voice sounds flat and confused. "Are these... glider wings?" It seems to be the same blue cloth from her airbending staff, though this fan is twice the size.

Kai nods. "Yep! But that's only part of your present... The rest of it's outside."

"Do you think you can make it out of bed?" Jinorra asks.

"I'll try..." Slowly, painfully, Korra pushes the covers off her frail form. When Senna and Katara rush to support her, the avatar waves them away. "I need to do this by myself." But the instant her feet touch the floor, her legs crumple beneath her.

For a minute, Korra lies there in a heap, fighting back tears. She has never felt so weak in all her life. Not even after facing Amon, or the Dark Avatar, or even Zaheer. She'd lost her spiritual connection with her past incarnations and now... now her body is broken, too. How could she call herself the avatar anymore?

Suddenly, Korra feels a cold wet nose press against her hand. _Naga. _Using her snout, the polar bear dog lifts her master's arm up, followed by her shoulder, until Korra is slouched half-up. Korra pats Naga's back. "Thanks, girl."

Korra allows Tonraq and Senna to lift her safely onto Naga's back. Then Naga pads outside, the others nervously trailing behind her.

"What do you think, Korra?" Asami stands apprehensively besides the second part of Korra's gift.

Korra stares at the contraption with wide eyes. "A... a _wheelchair_?"

"Not just any wheelchair..." Kai goes to fasten the blue wings to the back of the chair.

"It's a special type of glider," Jinorra explains. "Grandpa Aang had a friend who was injured during a flood years ago. From studying gliders belonging to the Air Nomads, the boy's father built him his own glider, giving him the ability to fly_." _

Bumi awkwardly taps the wheelchair with his broken arm, boasting, "It's perfectly safe. I should know; _I_ was the first person to test it, after all."

"Well, _you_ would be," Kya laughs, elbowing her brother.

"Ouch! _Watch the arm!"_

"We all pitched in to make it," Kai tells Korra excitedly. "But Asami came up with the idea!"

Asami doesn't want any praise. She is too worried by her friend's silent stare. "Korra? Are you ok?"

How could she have been so_ insensitive_? Korra doesn't see this as a gift; she must see it as a sign of weakness. A glaring reminder of her impairment...

Asami stammers, "You don't need to use it if you don't want to... I just thought— at least you could still fly with the airbenders... I'm sorry, Korra-!"

"Don't apologise, Asami. It's perfect." At long last, Korra musters up a smile for her friend. It's a faint twitch of the lips that doesn't quite reach her eyes, but it's still a smile.


End file.
